There's no telling what your kids will be good at, what they will enjoy, and if those things will be one and the same. Uta's love of baseball was discovered early, at two he was already inseparable from his bat. And he's good too. But we recently discovered something new that Uta loves. And that is to swim. He's always loved water. Since he was a newborn, the bath has been my most cherished secret weapon. It was just impossible for him to uphold a foul mood once his feet were in the bath, water always dissipated (and still does) every thing that ailed him. Swimming was a different story. The problem we had with swimming was that Uta hated getting his face wet, even one drop of water would elicit screams. Our first round of classes were a flop. Uta was four and mostly just sat on the edge of the pool refusing to get in. We took a year off, and then decided to give it another go this year. The change has been remarkable.
Strangely he still throws a good fit when his face gets wet in the bath, but he will now eagerly dive down to the bottom of a pool without a moment's hesitation. He is impossible to get out of the water once his lessons are finished and he has to be forcibly (with humor) removed. And apparently his love is not without talent. His teacher says she has never seen a boy who floats as well as Uta. Last year, in kindergarten, Uta discovered, sadly, that he is not the fastest runner. This year, in his class there is a boy who draws superheroes and monsters with amazing detail and accuracy, Uta is in awe and more than a little envious. Talent comes where it will, and there is little we can do, but we are grateful for it in any form, no matter how unexpected. Uta can now proudly boast, and he does, that he is exceptionally buoyant.
